NASA launched the SDO satellite atop an Atlas V rocket, making it the 2nd launch from Cape Canaveral this week.

Atlas V lifts SDO satellite into space

NASA – The Solar Dynamics Observatory was the first mission to be launched for NASA’s Living With a Star (LWS) Program, a program designed to understand the causes of solar variability and its impacts on Earth.

SDO is designed to help scientists understand the Sun’s influence on Earth and Near-Earth space.

Scientists will measure the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously.

SDO’s goal is to understand, driving towards a predictive capability, the solar variations that influence life on Earth and humanity’s technological systems by determining how the Sun’s magnetic field is generated and structured and how this stored magnetic energy is converted and released into the heliosphere and geospace in the form of solar wind, energetic particles, and variations in the solar irradiance.

Launch

SDO was ready in February 10th, 2010, for launch but was delayed one day on account of wind. The launch took place at 10:23 am EST on an Atlas V from SLC 41 at Cape Canaveral.

Science

“SDO will study how solar activity is created and how Space Weather comes from that activity. Measurements of the interior of the Sun, the Sun’s magnetic field, the hot plasma of the solar corona, and the irradiance that creates the ionospheres of the planets are our primary data products.”

Read more about SDO Science

Instruments

SDO will fly three scientific experiments: Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI).

Each of these experiments perform several measurements that characterize how and why the Sun varies. These three instruments will observe the Sun simultaneously, performing the entire range of measurements necessary to understand the variations on the Sun.

Read more about SDO’s instruments.

Specs

SDO is a sun-pointing semi-autonomous spacecraft that will allow nearly continuous observations of the Sun with a continuous science data downlink rate of 130 Megabits per second (Mbps). The spacecraft is 4.5 meters high and over 2 meters on each side, weighing a total of 3100 kg (fuel included). SDO’s inclined geosynchronous orbit was chosen to allow continuous observations of the Sun and enable its exceptionally high data rate through the use of a single dedicated ground station.

Read more about specs.

Mission Brochure

A brochure that outlines mission overview, objectives, and science investigations SDO Mission Brochure